Surviving You
by Emerald Padparadscha
Summary: Shorts about the life of Katja Adaar, and her trials through life and the Inquisition.
1. Iron Bull and Katja

**Title:** **They Belong To The Ages**

 **By:** **_Emerald Padparadscha_**

 **A/N:** _Dragon Age is one of those types of games that lets you design your character just about however you want. I have a few drabbles based on some of my Dragon Age characters, but before I post them, I need to explain my character, Katja, so she won't be so vague._

 _Also, when I say Dragon Age, I mean Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Age 2, and Dragon Age Inquisition all together. I view it as one story written in three different parts (and hopefully continuing!). After all, when people say Game of Thrones they don t have to label each book individually, do they?_

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Dragon Age Inquisition

Katja Adaar \- Qunari rogue. Duel-wielding. She doesn't believe she's been chosen by Andraste or anything else, but she does think she's the only one who makes sense in just about all of Thedas. Raised by humans and eventually turned over to the Valo Kas, she has a very Free March view of things.

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#1: Rough Mornings

Iron Bull smiled, knowing without even looking who just strode through the tavern door. The scent of sweat and horse gave Katja away. It wasn't long before she sat at his side, shoulder to shoulder...and let her head thud to the bar's surface.

"Rough morning, boss?" He chuckled, ordering her a drink. Never mind if she rarely drank. He'd down it if she didn't.

"You have no idea." Katja propped herself up. "It started as a rough day. Turned into a rough night. Got rough again when morning came along." She looked at him. "And that was yesterday. I got back just this afternoon."

"You spend a week in the middle of nowhere and the first thing you do is visit the tavern?"

If there was oen thing Katja had learned to do, it was see past his teases. She took the drink handed to her and took a drink. She coughed once before replying, "It's not my fault if the tavern happened to be here."

This was a woman he'd seen stare an Archdemon in the maw. She'd faced undead and demons without a single hitch in her step. It thrilled him time and time again to be the target of that very same gaze. He realized he must've been staring because she smirked and put her drink down on the bar. Her shoulder bumped his as she stood up. Iron Bull just about choked on his own drink as he laughed, rising to follow her out.

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#2: Sleepless In Skyhold

Adaar would be the first to admit she had a fondness for the brushed wool and cotton sheets and bedding Josephine had procured from Val Royeaux. The silks didn t work for her on the best of days thought he aforementioned fabric wasn t, either. Not tonight. Tossing one way and turning another did nothing to help.

She sat up on the edge of the bed, rubbing her right hand across the base of her horns and short, dreadlocked hair. The air had a piercing chill to it even though the fire in the small fireplace still burned bright. She stood and walked over to it. The light flickered across her. The warmth felt like it only penetrated her skin deep. She knew why it wasn t enough, even if she wasn t quite ready yet to admit it openly.

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Iron Bull barely batted a sleepy eyelid when the door to his tower space creaked open. He shifted over to give Katja some room, offering her a space on his side. She snuggled in, head on his shoulder and body fitted against his. He pulled the single light sheet he used to keep the chill off over them both. The sensation of a strong hand on her back had her asleep within seconds.

#3. Surviving You

"It's the Herald! The Herald of Andraste!"

Iron Bull looked up, watching as the cry started to sweep across the camp. He stood, grabbing the young crier as the boy ran by. "Slow down. What's going on?"

Krem came running up from a line of roughly patched together tents. The escape from Haven hadn't been pretty, but looks hadn't been what they'd been going after. "He's right, Chief! They just pulled Adaar out of the pass!"

Even as strong as Adaar was, he hadn't expected her to come back from this. Last he'd seen of her, she'd been staring a darkspawn dragon down like it was some misbehaving pet. Then the avalanche came, and they barely made it out of the mess themselves, much less the fact she'd been outside in its direct path. Honestly, he hadn't expected to see her again at all.

By the time he'd maneuvered over to the tent Katja had supposedly been taken to, Iron Bull couldn't' see through the crowd of bodies formed by Leliana, Josephine, and Mother Giselle. Cassandra and Cullen kept people from crowding them. Suddenly, Josephine and Leliana were forced to step to the side as the much larger woman stood up and stepped forward. Katja's clothes were scratched and torn. Obvious bruises and scrapes adorned her skin. Iron Bull could see them even through the light vitaar she'd taken to wearing.

It didn't matter. It was Katja Adaar alright, and she was alive!

-

There were a lot of tents set up, although it was obvious to her a lot was missing. A lot of supplies. A lot of people. Cullen and the others had done well in getting out what and what they could. As her gray-green eyes scanned the forming crowd, her gaze momentarily caught Iron Bull's.

The relief she was sure she saw on his face caught her by surprise, but not unpleasantly. Leliana's insistent pulling on her arm had her turning back toward her cot to lay down. Willingly, this time.

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A/N (Supplementary): As I continue to play Dragon Age (considering I've put in 100+ hours into various renditions of the same character so far and still going…), I'll continue to write little bits here and there for it.


	2. Did Somebody Say Something?

**Title:** **Did Somebody Say Something?**

 **By: **_**Emerald Padparadscha**_

* * *

Long nights and even longer days had Katja Adaar tired and sore. More tired than sore, she admitted, given she would gladly climb a thousand steps if there was a bed at the top. In a way, there kind of was, only the first 500 steps involved getting through this meeting with her advisors. Cullen wanted to extent their military reach further intot he mountains of the Emprise de Lion. Leliana and Cassandra boht wanted to completely oust the Venatori from the Western Aproach. They couldn't follow their leads on the Grey Wardens until a few things there were taken care of. Cullen's focus, of course, was on the removal of the red lyrium supply as much and as quickly as possible.

All were good points, and each required her personal attention. But right now, Katja couldn't find a huge amount of energy to do anything other than prop her head on her hand, her eyes half-lidded while the talks continued. It seemed like nobody noticed she hadn't said a single word yet. It was easier to let them debate themselves out. She'd step in if it got too heavy.

A few moments later...

Josephine felt a headache coming on. Sighing in irritation, she walked up to the Qunari Inquisitor's side. Maybe if she prodded Katja a little, the woman would say something, and these talks would end a little sooner. "Do you have anything to input, Inquisitor?"

Soft snoring was her only reply.


End file.
